Wall mounted plaque with insertable panels



Nov. 22, 1966 E. s. NEWMAN WALL MOUNTED PLAQUE WITH INSERI'ABLE PANELS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 17, 1964 Fig. 3

as f 84 5 INVENTOR Nov. 22, 1966 s. NEWMAN wALL MOUNTED PLAQUE WITH INSERTABLE PANELS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 17, 1964 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,286,382 WALL MOUNTED PLAQUE WITH INSERTABLE PANELS Elmer S. Newman, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to Newman Bros., Inc., a corporation of Ohio Filed Feb. 17, 1964, Ser. No. 345,271 6 Claims. (Cl. 40-102) The present invention generally relates to a wall mounted plaque which is constructed somewhat in the nature of a book with an essential feature of the invention residing in the provisionof inse'rtable panels which are in the form of the pages of a book.

An object of the invention is to provide a memorial plaque or the like in two different embodiments with the larger embodiment being known as a Book of Memory and the smaller embodiment being known as a Book of Appreciation. These plaques enable inscription of names, gifts, donations or the like for posterity in a permanent metallic plaque of bronze or aluminum. One of the primary features of the invention is to enable the addition of more names from time to time and the insertion of additional panels or pages. The cover of the book is cast bronze or aluminum and may bear any desired inscription and the cover which is in the form of a door is hung on sturdy hinges. The inside pages or panels may be constructed of rigid copper or aluminum and the names may be inscribed thereon in bold relief or relatively small etched plates may be added to the panels from time to time as required.

A very important object of the present invention'is to provide a wall mounted plaque generally in the form of a book having a door forming cover therefor together with a novel latch and hinge mechanism for enabling the door to be easily opened to reveal the names on the various pages and also enabling additional leaves or panels to be added up to a predetermined maximum thereby enabling the memorial plaque to be kept up to date thereby reducing the over-all cost of memorial plaques and at the same time enabling names, gifts or donations to be honored in memoriam at anytime without requiring the casting of separate plaques from time to time. Such an arrangement as in the present invention is especially desirable when an organization has a considerable number of membersand has reason to-honor various of its members from time to time.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a wall mounted book-type plaque having insertable panels or pages which is -quite simple in construction, easy to mount, easy to operate, simple in adding pages and names and relatively inexpensive to manufacture and install. 7

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the wall mounted plaque having a larger number of panels therein simulating a page of a book in which the panels are mounted on the inner surface of the pivotal. door;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view of the construction of FIGURE 1 illustrating the structural arrangement of the components thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse, sectional View taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 3--3 of FIGURE 1 with the door open illustrating the manner in which the leaves are hingedly attached to the door;

7 FIGURE 4 is a detailed plan view of one of the catch mechanisms with portions thereof broken away illustrat- "ice ing the spring detents for retaining the door or cover in closed position;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the form of the invention having a lesser number of leaves with the leaves mounted on the frame thereof;

FIGURE 6 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 66 of FIG- URE 5 illustrating further structural details of the invention; and

FIGURE 7 is a transverse, plan sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 77 of FIGURE 5 illustrating further structural details of the hinge mounting for the pages or panels.

Referring now specifically to FIGURES 1-4, the numeral 10 generally designates the wall mounted book-type plaque of the present invention which is mounted on any suitable Wall surface and secured thereto in any suitable manner, the details of which are not illustrated.

The wall plaque 10 includes a peripheral hollow frame 12 having an outer flange 14 engaging a wall surface 16 and an inner wall or flange 18 defining an enlarged open central area 20. The exterior surface of the frame 12 may be provided with any suitable curved, concavo-convex or decorative ornamentation as desired. This is also true of the portion of the outer plate 22 which extends from the outer edge of the wall 18 to the inwardly inclined and curved frame 12. The plate 22 may be provided with various scroll work 24 and indicia 2A6 designating the organization or the like with which the plaque 10 is concerned.

A closure plate 28 is provided for the enlarged central area 20 and the closure plate 28 is attached to the inner edge of the peripheral wall or flange 18 by any suitable means.

A closure door which forms a book cover is provided for the space 20 and is designated by numeral 30 and is in the form of a rectangular flat plate having indicia 32, scroll work or the like on the outer surface thereof designating further information concerning the plaque. The door 32 is provided with a knob or handle 33 adjacent the free edge thereof and i pivotally mounted by interdigitated hinge barrels 34 and 36 which are interconnected by a removable hinge pin 38. The hinge barrels 34 and 36 are offset by virtue of a bridging portion 40 connected with the closure door 30 and a bridging portion 42 forming an extension of 'a portion of the Wall 18 thereby enabling the closure door to be orientated within the space 20 when closed with only a flange 44 at the free edge thereof, a flange 46 at the upper edge and a flange 48 at the lower edge thereof engaging the face of the plate 22.

For holding the closure door 30 in closed position, there is a pair of retaining posts 50 with the posts 50 being disposed adjacent the upper and lower corners of the free edge of the door 30. Each of the posts 50 includes a base plate 52 secured to the door 30 by any suitable means such as by fasteners 54. Also, the post 50 is provided with a circular cross-sectional configuration with the outer end thereof being tapered or pointed in a rounded manner as indicated by numeral 56 and the inner end thereof being of reduced diameter as indicated by numeral 58 for engagement with a latch mechanism generally designated by numeral 66 whereby the latch mechanism will engage the reduced cross-sectional area 58 to retain the door 30 in closed position and yet the latch mechanism '60 will enable the door to be opened when sufii-cient pulling force is exerted on the pull knob 33 to overcome the frictional resistance of the latch 60. Due to the rounded tapered end 56 of the posts 50, the closure door may be closed by exerting pushing force on the knob 33 so that the post will enter the frictional latch structure and be retained in closed position thereby.

A Each side of the notch 66 is provided with a laterally extending socket 68 having a spring 70 therein together with a ball detent 72 which is spring biased outwardly but held captive within the lateral pocket 68 so that a portion of the periphery thereof extends into the notch 66 for frictionally engaging the periphery of the post 50 so that as the larger belly portion thereof moves into the notch 66, the spring detent will serve not only to retain the posts within the notch 66 but will also serve as cam means for urging the door 30 to closed position with the flanges 44, 46 and 48 resting flush against the surface of the plate 22 peripherally of three sides of the space 20. The butt end of the plate 30 is disposed adjacent to the other peripheral wall portion of the space 20.

Attached to the inner surface of the closure door 30 is a vertical mounting member 74 having a plurality of laterally extending lugs 76 projecting therefrom with one of the lugs being at each end of the mounting plate 74. The lugs 76 are apertured and releasably receive an elongated mounting rod 78 retained in place by setscrews 80 which extend into the aperture for releasably clamping the mounting rod 78 in place. The mounting rod extends through the hinge barrels 82 on hinge brackets 84, 85, 86, 88 and 90 on panels 92, 94, 96, 98 and 100 respectively and the hinge brackets are all offset in a manner whereby the panels 92 100 may be disposed in overlying superimposed relation and with the hinge bar-rels'82 being all in alignment and mounted on the rod 78 for pivotal movement there-on from a position illustrated in FIG- URE 3 to a position parallel to each other so that they may be received within the space 20.

When the panels 92-100 are disposed in superposed relation to each other, they will quite easily fit within the space 20 as illustrated in FIGURE 2. Then when the door 30 is opened, the panels may be pivoted somewhat in the nature of the pages of a book so that the names appearing on both faces thereof may be observed. As previously pointed out, the frame 12 may be secured to the wall surface 16 in any suitable manner such as by light bolts, screws or the like. The panels may have the names inscribed thereon in any suitable manner or the names may be incorporated onto small metal clips which may be attached to the panels in any suitable manner.

Referring now specifically to FIGURES -7, a modified lform of plaque is generally designated by the numeral 110 and this structure includes a hollow peripheral frame 112 havnig an outer peripheral flange 114 terminating in an inturned edge 116 engaging a wall surface 118. The frame :112 includes a facing plate 120 and an inner peripheral wall 122 defining a space 124. An outturned flange 126 is provided on the periphery of the wall 122 and a closure plate 128 is provided for the space 124 and extends across the rear thereof. The particular configuration of the frame may vary as may the curvature and contour thereof and the materials from which the frame is constructed may also vary. The manner in which the frame is attached to the wall surface may be any conventional means and forms no particular part of the present invention.

A closure door 130 is provided for the space 124 and the door 130 includes a peripheral flange 132 for engaging the surface of the plate 120 immediately adjacent the space 124. A hinge bracket of generally L-shaped configuration designated by numeral v134- is attached to the plate 128 and a hinge plate 136 is received in a recess in the wall member 122 and is secured thereto in any suitable ma-nner. A reinforcing member 138 is provided for the wall member 122 where the hinge plate 136 is attached. A hinge pin 140 interconnects the barrels on the hinge plate 134 and 136 in a conventional manner to enable the door to swing from a closed to an open position. A knob 142 is provided on the free edge of the door for pivoting the door from its closed to its open position. Any desired latch mechanism may be provided for the door or the door may be set so that gravity retains it in closed position or friction may be provided between the door and the periphery of the space 124 for retaining the door .130 in closed position.

Disposed within the space 124 is a plurality of panels 144, 146 and 148 which are in spaced parallel relationship to each other when they are disposed within the space 124. The panels 144, 146 and 148 may have a plurality of names inscribed thereon or may be provided with name plates attachable thereto.

A hinge plate 150 is mounted against the wall 122 opposite to the wall 122 which receives the hinge plates 136 and is secured thereto by suitable fasteners 152. A hinge pine 154 secures the outer edge of the hinge plate 150 to a plurality of hinge plates 156, 158 and which are secured to the panels 144, 146 and 148 respectively by laterally offset terminal ends 162 secured to the panels in any suitable manner. As illustrated in FIGURES 6 and 7, the hinge plate 156 is longer than the hinge plate 158 which in turn is longer than the hinge plate 160 thus mounting the panels 144, 146 and 148 in the spatial relationship illustrated in FIGURE 7 when the panels are parallel to each other. The panels 144, 146 and 148 may be detachable from the hinge plates or the hinge plate 150 may be removed for ease of addition of plates or addition of names on the plates or panels. As will be appreciated, various associations of hinges may be provided whereby additional panels 144, 146 and 148 may be added or a lesser number of panels may be employed depending upon the requirements. For example, the plaque may be installed with only a single panel in place and as requirements exist, additional panels may be added thereto.

In this form of the invention, the door is opened in one direction and the panels 144, 146 and 148 are pivoted outwardly about the opposite edge thereof and the fact that the hinge pin 154 is set inwardly from the facing plate 120 will provide an arrangement in which the hinge plates 156, 158 and 160 will be limited in their outward swinging movement by virtue of engagement of the hinge plate with the wall 122 adjacent the outer plate 120.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A memorial plaque comprising a frame adapted to be supported from a supporting member, said frame including a hollow central space, a closure door for said space, said closure door being movable from a closed position to a position exposing the interior of the space, and a plurality of panels normallyreceived in said space and being pivotally supported in relation thereto for movement to a position projecting from the space for enabling the panels to be observed, said panels adapted to receive a plurality of groups of indicia designating certain information relating to the plaque, said door being pivotally attached to said frame at one side of said space, said panels being pivotally attached to said frame Within said space at the edge thereof opposite to the pivotal axis of said door whereby the door is swung open in one direc tion and the panels swung outwardly of the space in the opposite direction.

2. The structure as defined in claim 1 together with hinge means mounting said panels on said frame for movement in relation to the frame independent of the door, said hinge means including variable offset means for orienting the panels in spaced parallel relation when disposed in said space.

3. A memorial plaque comprising a frame including a hollow central space defined by a peripheral frame member having a substantial depth, a plurality of rigid panels stored in said space in substantially parallel relation with each panel adapted to receive indicia, a door hinged to the outer edge of said frame member, each of said panels being pivotally supported for pivotal movement about a common pivot axis by a plurality of rigid hinge brackets having variable offset arrangements so that the panels may be orientated in substantial parallel relation when disposed in adjacent position, the inner edge of said frame member being provided with a closure panel forming a closure for the space defined by the frame member, said frame including an ornamental peripheral wall extending outer the front edge of said frame member rearwardly and outwardly to a position substantially coplanar with the inner edge of the frame member for mounting against a supporting surface.

4. The structure as defined in claim 3 wherein said door is pivoted to the frame member at one side thereof, said panels being pivotally attached to the frame member at the opposite side thereof and inwardly of but adjacent the outer edge thereof With the offset arrangement of the hinge brackets enabling the panels pivoted to the frame member to be swung in an are approximate- 1y 270 to enable observation of both sides of the panels.

5. The structure as defined in claim 3 wherein said panels are supported from the inner surface of said door, said hinge brackets for the panels being pivotally attached to said door adjacent the edge thereof that is pivotally attached to the frame member by a support bracket spacing the pivot axis inwardly of the inner surface of the door with the offset of the hinge brackets extending both inwardly and outwardly of the pivot axis.

6. The structure as defined in claim 5 wherein said door is provided with a projecting post at the free edge thereof, latch means on said frame member for engaging the post when the door is moved to a closed position thereby releasably retaining the door in closed position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 170,585 11/1875 Perkins et al. -102 296,431 4/ 1884 Miller 40-124.5

349,114 9/1886 Martini 40-102 752,463 2/ 1904 Morris 40-102 X 839,251 12/1906 Albrecht et al. 129-20 1,471,481 10/1923 Gobberdiel 40-102 X 1,752,428 4/1930 Faroer 40-102 1,883,834 10/1932 Turner 40-152.1 2,450,495 10/ 1948 Ullmann 40-152.1 2,506,688 5/1950 Scism 40-152.1

FOREIGN PATENTS 335,994 12/ 1903 France.

EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner. W, CONTRERAS, Assistant Examiner 

1. A MENORIAL PLAQUE COMPRISING A FRAME ADAPTED TO BE SUPPORTED FROM A SUPPORTING MEMBER, SAID FRAME INCLUDING A HOLLOW CENTRAL SPACE, A CLOSURE DOOR FOR SAID SPACE, SAID CLOSURE DOOR BEING MOVABLE FROM A CLOSED POSITION TO A POSITION EXPOSING THE INTERIOR OF THE SPACE, AND A PLURALITY OF PANELS NORMALLY RECEIVED IN SAID SPACE AND BEING PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED IN RELATION THERETO FOR MOVEMENT TO A POSITION PROJECTING FROM THE SPACE FOR ENABLING THE PANELS TO BE OBSERVED, SAID PANELS ADAPTED TO RECEIVED A PLURALITY OF GROUPS OF INDICIA DESIGNATING CERTAIN INFORMATION RELATING TO THE PLAQUE, SAID DOOR BEING PIVOTALLY ATTACHED TO SAID FRAME AT ONE SIDE OF SAID SPACE, SAID PANELS BEING PIVOTALLY ATTACHED TO SAID FRAME WITHIN SAID SPACE AT THE EDGE THEREOF OPPOSITE TO THE PIVOTAL AXIS OF SAID DOOR WHEREBY THE DOOR IS SWUNG OPEN IN ONE DIRECTION AND THE PANELS SWUNG OUTWARDLY OF THE SPACE IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. 